Why Romelu Lukaku is the most significant signing in Everton’s history

Romelu Lukaku is now Everton’s record signing after moving from Chelsea for a reported £28million (Picture: Getty Images)

Evertonians are still celebrating after the club sealed the capture of Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea.

The reported £28million deal smashes Everton’s previous transfer record, the £15million shelled out for Marouane Fellaini six years ago.

Since then the Toffees – much to the supporters’ frustration – have operated at the bottom end of the market, often being forced to sell a key player before they can buy. Indeed the club have made a net profit on transfers every season since 2009.

However, the bumper new TV deal has altered the financial landscape, placing Everton on much firmer financial footing and allowing such a blockbusting transfer deal to go ahead.

But it isn’t just the fee that makes this move significant.

Everton are getting a player who has scored more goals than the likes of Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic had scored by the age of 21.

While in the previous two seasons only Suarez and Robin van Persie – seasoned strikers at the peak of their game – have scored more Premier League goals than Lukaku.

Everton therefore are getting a fairly safe bet for their money: an international striker with a World Cup under his belt, who knows the club, knows the manager, knows his team-mates and is a proven force in the division. Plus at 21, he is only going to get better.

Everton have been hunting such a striker ever since Gary Lineker left in 1986.

Some have threatened to fill his boots. Tony Cottee started well when Everton broke the British transfer record to sign him from West Ham in 1988. As did Yakubu, who in 2008 became the first Everton player to score 20 goals in a season since Lineker. Duncan Ferguson meanwhile holds a cult status among the supporters, yet his goalscoring record does not stand up to his reputation.

But it is no exaggeration to suggest that Lukaku is capable of eclipsing all of them and help spearhead the tide of optimism that has swept over the club since Roberto Martinez took over last summer.

It also sends a powerful message out to the critics who saw Everton’s magnificent season last year as a flash-in-the-pan.

Lukaku was one of three loan players who apparently gave them an unfair advantage during the 2013-14 campaign. Yet it came across as the bitter rant from fans of clubs who had failed to utilise the loan market as successfully as Everton had.

The fact two of those loan players – Lukaku and Gareth Barry – have now joined permanently, shows manager Roberto Martinez has a long-term vision for the football club and forces the club’s critics to eat their words.

All too often in the recent past Everton have failed to build on the progress made following a positive season, allowing things to slide the following year.

However, with Muhamed Besic, Barry and now Lukaku on board, Everton’s squad is shaping up nicely. Throw in new contracts for Martinez, Seamus Coleman and Ross Barkley and you can understand why Everton fans are so excited about the upcoming season.